Breadcrumb navigation:

2002 Archived News and Features

college and graduate school of arts and sciences

Archived News and Features by Year

As an undergrad, Jill Gaitenby '88, was pleased with herself if she could run around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir without stopping. At this year's Boston Marathon she placed ninth in the top ten women finishers category, with a finishing time of 2:38:19.

In his 5th consecutive Boston Marathon Mathematics Professor Mark Reeder placed 48th overall in the 2003 race and 8th among the 40-49 year old group, with a finishing time of 2:36:58.

Alexander Demidov '04 has received a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. Demidov plans to pursue a doctorate in theoretical physics, possibly specializing in superconductivity.

Assistant Professor of Biology Junona Moroianu was highlighted in the American Society for Microbiology, ASM News for her recent Journal of Virology paper, one of six featured papers in the April issue.

Geology and Geophysics Professor John Ebel issues regular earthquake forecasts for the New England area in an effort to increase public awareness of the need for more accurate forecasts.

Sociology Professor and author of "The Challenger Launch Decision, Risky Technology, Culture and Deviance at NASA", Diane Vaughan has earned a platform as an expert witness in the investigation of the space shuttle Columbia.

Sociology Professor Paul Schervish talks about Wealth Transfer in an Age of Affluence in the April issue of More Than Money.

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences awarded Chemistry Professor Mary Roberts a grant for Interfacial Activation of Water Soluble Phospholipases.

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences awarded Chemistry Professor Evan Kantrowitz a grant for Molecular Basis of Cellular Control Mechanisms.

Biology Professor Peter Clote has been invited to give a series of lectures at Institut Henri Poincare in Paris in June. He was also appointed to edit various sections in two forthcoming Biology Encyclopedias.

The National Security Agency has awarded a grant to Mathematics Professor Solomon Friedberg.

Chemistry Professor Scott Miller is one of three recipients of the 2003 Pfizer Award for Creativity in Organic Chemistry given by Pfizer Global Research and Development.

Theology Professor Francis X. Clooney, S.J. has been awarded an NEH Summer Research Stipend for the completion of his current book "Divine Mother, Blessed Mother: Hindu Goddesses and the Blessed Virgin Mary".

Justin Pariseau '03 has won a Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship for his Scholar of the College Project, which explored the African American community on Nantucket and its fight for equality in antebellum America.

The Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities has awarded Psychology Professor Ramsay Liem a grant for a public exhibit based on his oral history research, Korean Americans Remember the Korean War.

Tak-lun "Koopa" Koo '03 has tied for 35th place in the William Lowell Putnam Competition. Associate Professor Robert Gross stated, "To the best of anyone's recollection, this is the 1st time BC has had a student place in the top 100."

Research conducted by Assistant Professor of Political Science Jennifer Steen confirms that in low-profile races, candidates listed first on ballots have a better chance of winning than those listed last.

Never forgetting his past, Lev Golinkin '03 gives hope to others by spending his Spring breaks building houses for Habitat for Humanity.

Because fostering faculty and student interaction is important to Dean Joseph Quinn, he created a subsidy program which reimburses professors for entertaining their students with meals. BC Magazine

As an undergrad, Jill Gaitenby '88, was pleased with herself if she could run around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir without stopping. At this year's Boston Marathon she placed ninth in the top ten women finishers category, with a finishing time of 2:38:19.

In his 5th consecutive Boston Marathon Mathematics Professor Mark Reeder placed 48th overall in the 2003 race and 8th among the 40-49 year old group, with a finishing time of 2:36:58.

Alexander Demidov '04 has received a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. Demidov plans to pursue a doctorate in theoretical physics, possibly specializing in superconductivity.

Assistant Professor of Biology Junona Moroianu was highlighted in the American Society for Microbiology, ASM News for her recent Journal of Virology paper, one of six featured papers in the April issue.

Geology and Geophysics Professor John Ebel issues regular earthquake forecasts for the New England area in an effort to increase public awareness of the need for more accurate forecasts.

Sociology Professor and author of "The Challenger Launch Decision, Risky Technology, Culture and Deviance at NASA", Diane Vaughan has earned a platform as an expert witness in the investigation of the space shuttle Columbia.

Sociology Professor Paul Schervish talks about Wealth Transfer in an Age of Affluence in the April issue of More Than Money.

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences awarded a grant to Chemistry Professor Evan Kantrowitz for Molecular Basis of Cellular Control Mechanisms.

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences awarded a grant to Chemistry Professor Mary Roberts for Interfacial Activation of Water Soluble Phospholipases.

Biology Professor Peter Clote has been invited to give a series of lectures at Institut Henri Poincare in Paris in June. He was also appointed to edit various sections in two forthcoming Biology Encyclopedias.

The National Security Agency has awarded a grant to Mathematics Professor Solomon Friedberg.

Chemistry Professor Scott Miller is one of three recipients of the 2003 Pfizer Award for Creativity in Organic Chemistry given by Pfizer Global Research and Development.

Theology Professor Francis X. Clooney, S.J. has been awarded an NEH Summer Research Stipend for the completion of his current book "Divine Mother, Blessed Mother: Hindu Goddesses and the Blessed Virgin Mary".

Justin Pariseau '03 has won a Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship for his Scholar of the College Project, which explored the African American community on Nantucket and its fight for equality in antebellum America.

The Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities has awarded Psychology Professor Ramsay Liem a grant for a public exhibit based on his oral history research, Korean Americans Remember the Korean War.

Tak-lun "Koopa" Koo '03 has tied for 35th place in the William Lowell Putnam Competition. Associate Professor Robert Gross stated, "To the best of anyone's recollection, this is the 1st time BC has had a student place in the top 100."

Research conducted by Assistant Professor of Political Science Jennifer Steen confirms that in low-profile races, candidates listed first on ballots have a better chance of winning than those listed last.

Never forgetting his past, Lev Golinkin '03 gives hope to others by spending his Spring breaks building houses for Habitat for Humanity.

Because fostering faculty and student interaction is important to Dean Joseph Quinn, he created a subsidy program which reimburses professors for entertaining their students with meals. BC Magazine

Student enrollment in the Philosophy major is at an all-time high! BC Chronicle

John Finney (Music) is a highly talented and respected musician with a gift of bringing groups together to create magic. BC Chronicle

Music Professor Thomas Oboe Lee has been selected as Continental Harmony Composer for Bangor, ME. Lee's composed piece will be performed in September 2004 by The Bangor Symphony Orchestra and choral and dance groups, in celebration of Bangor's roots on the Penobscot River.

Chemistry graduate student Haizheng Zhang, winding up his doctoral work in Professor Davidovits' lab, is one of twelve students to win the ACS Division of Environmental Chemistry Award.

Michael Keith (Communication) was interviewed about his book "The Next Better Place: A Father and Son on the Road", on public radio's The Savvy Traveler.

Assistant Professor of Chemistry Shana Kelley hopes to inspire talented women to pursue careers in science by bringing attention to Rosalind Franklin, a deceased female chemist who made a significant contribution in the discovery of DNA.

Professor Jonathan Bloom has won the Charles Rufus Morey Award for authoring a distinguished book in the history of art.

Professor John Michalczyk's new film, Displaced: Miracle at St. Ottilien, is a documentary about the treatment of displaced Jews at a camp in Germany run by the U.S. military at the close of World War II. BC Chronicle

The American Academy of Political and Social Science has awarded Brett Huneycutt '03 for their Undergraduate Research Award. His thesis advisor is Economics Professor Donald Cox.

Biology Professor Thomas Seyfried and his research team see hope for managing Tay-Sachs disease, a fatal genetic disorder found in children of Eastern European Jewish descent. BC Chronicle

Alan Wolfe's article, The Difference Between Criticism and Hatred, was published in The New Republic.

Professor of English Paul Mariani is the author of "Thirty Days: On Retreat with the Exercises of St. Ignatius".

Diane Vaughan's book "The Challenger Launch Decision" was quoted in the Toronto Star regarding the Columbia explosion.

Mathematics Professor Solomon Friedberg was invited by the U.S. Secretary of Education to attend the Secretary's Summit on Mathematics in Washington DC.

Psychology Professor Lisa Feldman Barrett was featured in the December 2002 issue of Monitor on Psychology for her dedicated support to undergraduate team research in labs.

Michael Keith, Senior Lecturer in Communications, recently published his autobiographical novel "The Next Better Place".

Boston College's Theatre Department announced that all three Theatre students participating in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival received top honors. Mark Pearson '03, costume designer for the two Moliere one-acts, and part of the Evening of One-Acts that opened the Department of Theater's 2002-2003 Mainstage Season, won First Place. Adam Umhoefer '03, designer of the set for our Mainstage production of Hamlet, placed in the top three receiving Honorable Mention. Emily Dendinger '05, competing as a playwright, placed in the top five in the entire New England region for her play, The Kiss.

Seamus Connolly, Irish Studies Music Programs Director, was named Traditional Artist of the Year by The Irish Echo.

The Church's troubles started with Cardinal William Henry O'Connell (1907 - 1944). Read Professor James O'Toole's story in the Boston Globe.

Associate Dean Clare Dunsford shares her story, being the mother of a child with Fragile X Syndrome, a hereditary condition which causes a wide range of mental impairments. BC Chronicle

Professor Paula Mathieu teaches The Literatures of Homelessness, an English course exploring the development of various literatures surrounding homelessness, as well as offering a valuable hands-on experience tutoring homeless children. BC Chronicle

Sociology Professor Juliet Schor questions how much stuff Americans really need, and how much it will really cost. BC Chronicle

Psychology Professor Lisa Feldman Barrett, along with faculty from Harvard and Stanford, is featured in Monitor on Psychology for supporting team undergrad research in labs.

Two history colleagues are awarded Guggenheim Fellowships

In addition to being awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship, Robin Fleming also received a membership at Princeton's Institute for Advanced Study and a Bunting Fellowship at the Radcliffe Institute. She will spend the coming academic year as a member of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton. Lawrence Wolff will take a break from teaching during the 2003 academic year to continue writing a book on Galicia, a portion of Poland from Cracow to Lviv in modern-day Ukraine.

BC Chemistry Professor John Fourkas has been elected a Fellow in the American Physical Society, Chemical Physics division. He is only the 2nd faculty member of the Chemistry department, Paul Davidovits being the first.

James O'Toole's book "Passing for White" is going to be offered as an Alternate Selection in the Book of the Month Club's April 2003 catalog. Chronicle of Higher Ed

Physics Professor Zhifeng Ren's paper on ZnO nanorods was featured in the editor's choice section of Science magazine, in addition to being placed on the cover of NANOLetter.

Inside Gasson Walls

Read about the inside treasures and untold stories in the BC Magazine.

Professor of English and American Studies Carlo Rotella's book "Good With Their Hands: Boxers, Bluesmen and Other Characters From the Rust Belt" was reviewed in the November 7 issue of The Washington Post Book Club.

Professor Solomon Friedberg is appointed a member of the Math-Science Support Initiative, a project consisting of a group of mathematicians, math educators, and teachers who have been charged with advising the Dept of Ed about how we should train future generations of K-12 teachers in mathematics.

Theology and Philosophy Majors on the rise, Communication still in the lead. Chronicle

Professor of Geology and Geophysics J. Christopher Hepburn is elected to the council of the Geological Society of America. Chronicle

Professor Roberta Manning, head of a research team that publishes documents from Soviet archives, was interviewed by the Boston Globe.

Undergraduate Science Research Poster Sessions Biology, Geology and Geophysics, Physics, and Chemistry students displayed their research projects on September 27.

T. Frank Kennedy, S.J. received the Alumni Achievement Award for Arts and Humanities. Dean Joseph Quinn presented Fr. Kennedy '71 the award with the following citation: "One of the founding fathers of the Boston College Music department, his work has enriched the lives of his many students, while adding to the cultural and intellectual life of the entire University. With unbound enthusiasm he has brought the study and performance of music to the fore at The Heights."

English Professor Judith Wilt is appointed Newton College Alumnae Professorship in Western Culture.

Gilda Morelli, a Psychology faculty member since 1994, will assume advising responsibilities for the Junior class as she joins the College of Arts and Sciences Deans' staff.

Junior Class Dean Carol Hurd Green will leave the College of Arts and Sciences in July to become Director of the Donovan Urban Teaching Scholars Program in the Lynch School of Education. For more than 20 years Carol has mentored A&S students and played a major role in the development of programs and policies in A&S. She was instrumental in developing the International Studies and Interdisciplinary Minor programs, as well as the Women's Studies and Independent Major programs.

Chemistry and Physics departments have risen to national prominence: Over the last decade Boston College has quietly transformed itself into an unexpected scientific powerhouse.

Roger Woolsey, faculty member in the Communication department, will receive the Carroll Society Award. This annual award is presented to blind or visually impaired residents of the Commonwealth of MA, in recognition of their demonstrated excellence in job performance.

Professor of Sociology William A. Gamson was elected Fellow to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Distinguished Fellow members include: John Adams, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Daniel Webster, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Alexander Graham Bell, Albert Einstein and Woodrow Wilson. Boston College Chronicle

Professor John Mahoney, known as a gifted lecturer with an ability to reach the students, has retired after teaching English full-time for 47 years. BC Chronicle

McIntyre Professor of English J. Robert Barth, S.J. stated, "Poetry is meant to be listened to, not simply read on a page. Hear it and you will hear the music of it." See story in January 17, Boston College Chronicle.

Professor of Theology Thomas Groome discusses his new book "What Makes Us Catholic" in the BC Chronicle.

2001/2002 Faculty Awards' Recipients in A&S

Amir Hoveyda, Chemistry Professor, Distinguished Teaching Award Quote from a former student and current Marshall Scholar -- "Professor Hoveyda is unmatched in his passion for inspired and inspiring teaching, enthusiasm for research which he imparts to his students with an infectious resolve, creativity in redesigning the way in which science curricula is instructed at BC, and dedication to the cause of benefiting humanity both by scientific discovery and by supporting a new generation of like-minded individuals. On a personal level, Amir has been both instrumental and indispensable in helping me to gain the enviable opportunities I currently possess to train to become a professor, researcher, and steward of hope through science. But on a more general scale, my success is perhaps a striking example at best and an indicative normality otherwise, of the success that the majority of undergraduates enjoy who make the decision to commit themselves to rigorous and disciplined hard work under his tutelage."

Maxim D. Shrayer is the recipient of the Distinguished Research Award. Quote from a colleague, "I believe that Shrayer is an academic star that underlines one of the greatest traditions of our University, a place that has appreciated the uprooted, the diasporist, the oppressed, a center of learning where stories have always been especially held wide open to welcome the less privileged and immigrants. During a short tenure here, Shrayer has brought significant honor and recognition to BC. It is because of talented and internationally recognized scholars like him that universities rise to be viewed as outstanding and eminent centers of learning, teaching, and research in the world."

Amir Hoveyda, Joseph T. and Patricia Vanderslice Millenium Professor of Chemistry, was lead-off speaker at the National Institute for General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) 40th anniversary symposium, "NIGMS at 40: New Directions, Collaborative Projects and Non-Reductionist Approaches."

Professor Kay Schlozman was named inaugural holder of the newly created J. Joseph Moakley Chair. Schlozman and the late Congressman Moakley shared a common dedication to human rights and social justice. Schlozman was also selected as co-winner of the American Political Science Association's 2002 Victoria Schuck Award for her new book "The Private Roots of Public Action: Gender, Equality, and Political Participation".